R.F. Kuang

4 Stars

I’m going to try to be succinct.

This is a story about an orphaned girl who has no one and nothing, with no prospects other than to be married off, trading one form of slavery for another. This is a story of a girl who’s determined to not be a victim, who stubbornly hones her smarts and determination to defy expectations, gaining entrance to an uncompromising military school known only for churning out the best of the best. This is a story of a girl put through severe discipline and pain, despite bearing every known disadvantage compared to her pampered elite classmates, and still comes out on top.

Set against the backdrop of a country that has really only known war, who’s on the brink of yet another, this alternate universe bridges mystical legends, magic, untrustworthy gods, and ruthless enemies that will do anything and everything to win.

Rin is reckless, idealistic, and blindly patriotic. Her experiences cultivate her anger and her need to succeed, always driving her to conquer any obstacle that comes her way. If you like an underdog, if you’re ok with hateful characters, and a country’s layered complex history with multiple shades of gray, then come on over.

Despite this being far from my typical romance reads, I was never bored. This is not a fluff piece nor has an inkling of a love story. It holds little room for weakness, containing plenty of violence and tragedy, portraying graphic horrors that were awful to witness.

Overall, this is about the many choices that all the characters make, choices made long ago that inevitably influence Rin and those around her. These decisions manifest in killing others, sacrificing many, all the while pushing one to either give up or buck up to avenge the dead and conquer those that betrayed them all. Rin chooses to keep on living after what she goes through, feeling she has no other options on the brink of defeat. It simply remains to be seen if the end justifies the means.

”War doesn’t determine who’s right. War determines who remains.”
… (lisätietoja)

The Poppy War is the first novel in the Poppy War trilogy by R.F. Kuang.

Content Note: rape, genocide

Plot:
Rin is a war orphan, living with an unkind foster family who sell opium and exploit her however they can. Now they are planning to sell her into marriage. Rin has only one chance to get out: take the Keju, a national academic test and hope to get placed so high she can get an education instead of a husband. Much to everybody’s surprise, Rin not only passes the test, she is one of only a handful of students to be accepted into the military academy in Sinegard, Nikan’s capital. With war between Nikan and Mugen always a possibility, Rin throws herself into her studies.

The Poppy War is rather exciting with its unusual setting. Despite some very familiar elements within that setting, I am curious to see where the story takes us in the next books. Probably nowhere good.

Read more on my blog: https://kalafudra.com/2024/03/13/the-poppy-war-r-f-kuang/… (lisätietoja)

Quizlit’s Book of the Month July 2023 is Yellowface by R.F. Kuang. It’s her fifth novel and the first outside the Fantasy Genre.

June Hayward and Athena Liu were supposed to be rising stars of the literary world. However while Athena’s now a superstar, June Hayward’s first book flopped and there might not be a second.

After a night out together for a few drinks, they end up back at Athena’s luxury apartment. A drunken decision to make pancakes unfortunately leads to the freak choking death of Athena. While waiting for the emergency services, June finds Athena’s unfinished manuscript, a novel about the unsung contributions of Chinese laborers during World War I. The temptation was too great….

June edits and finishes Athena’s novel and sends it to her agent as her own. A new publisher rebrands her as Juniper Song complete with an ambiguous ethnic author photo. The book is a huge hit and June/Juniper is catapulted into the spotlight.

But June is haunted by Athena’s shadow, and as the secret emerges, it threatens to bring Juniper’s success down around her. As June races to cover her trail, she discovers exactly how far she will go to keep what she thinks is rightfully hers.

Yellowface tackles questions of racism and cultural appropriation, as well as the terrifying attention of social media. It also provides an insight into the ruthless world of publishing. R.F. Kuang’s novel is a brilliant satire, thrilling, spiky and thought-provoking.

You can read more about R.F Kuang on my book of the month article
https://quizlit.org/book-of-the-month-july-2023… (lisätietoja)